Kay Bailey Hutchison wants to make sure that President Obama follows through on new offshore drilling promise

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has learned this during her three decades in politics: It’s not what they say that counts, it’s what they do.

So when administration officials promised on Saturday to extend every offshore drilling lease in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dallas Republican had a simple response: Show me!

(Photo by Sarah Tung / Hearst Newspapers)

Hutchison said she would continue to push her “LEASE Act,” which would extend the leases of offshore drilling operators to make up for time lost as a result of the drilling moratorium enacted by the administration following the BP oil spill last year.

“The president’s announcement was welcome news, but it is unclear what leases will be extended and for how long,” Hutchison said today. “Until we have assurance that every moratorium-impacted lease is made whole, I will continue to push the LEASE Act. The domestic energy producers and workforce have been effectively sidelined for months due to the administration’s regulations, and passing the LEASE Act will give them some badly needed certainty.”

President Obama said Saturday during his weekly radio/Internet address that “the administration is extending drilling leases in areas of the Gulf that were impacted by the temporary moratorium.” Two Obama advisers reiterated during in a conference call with reporters that all leases would be extended.

But Hutchison said that the White House has offered “no specific information” since then “about what leases would be eligible and when they would receive extensions.”

Until the administration acts, the Texas senator said her LEASE ACT, which is pending in the Senate, is needed to ensure that the president both talks the talk and walks the walk. The House passed a companion piece of legislation on May 11.

“For months, I have been calling for extensions on leases for companies forced to sit idle by the drilling moratoria, and I hope we’ll move quickly to pass this fair, simple bill,” said Hutchison.